‘Red Riding Hood. The True Story’

120 x 215cm
oil on canvas

It is a modern and environmentalist version of the historical fairy tale, a combative Little Riding Hood who welcomes and does not demonize the presence of the wolf. Scientific studies has increased our understanding of wolf–human relations and the important role the top predator plays in the ecosystem health. Stories of the wolf like Red Riding Hood offer a mythology imbued with archetypal powers that tap into profound fears about the place of the human in nature—fears that blur the boundaries between an animal world and a human world. At the same time, this storied wolf has become intertwined with contentious issues about social change, urban–rural divide, private property rights, custom and culture, and the social construction of nature, thus stirring anxieties about larger value-based political issues.